SCRUTON’S GUIDANCE

Douglas Murray’s article (July/August) reminded me of the time that I, too, had the great fortune of guidance from the late Sir Roger Scruton. I sent him, along with several other people I admired from a considerable distance, my first attempt at a newspaper article, on the unlikely subject of Michel Foucault. His response began, “I would add just a couple of things to your attack on Foucault . . .” before drawing my attention to the Frenchman’s definition of “liberation”, and also his “transcendental amoralism, that makes him useful to everyone who thinks himself more important than the status quo”. To this day I am still drawing on the intellectual capital of this brief exchange.

W. Sydney Robinson

oundle, northamptonshire